George m



(No Model.)

G. M. HUBBARD.

BUCKLE GUARD.

No. 395,904. Patented Jan. 8, 1889'.

NITE STATES PATENT HFFHZEQ GEORGE M. HUBBARD, OF NEIV HAVEN,CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO IV. ,& E. T. FITCH, OF SAME PLACE.

BUCKLE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 395,904, dated.January 8, 1889.

Application filed November 19, 1888. Serial No. 291,259. (No model.)

i the parts are in the normal condition, as

with the guard applied; Fig. 2, a side view of the same; Fig. 33, a faceview of the buckleguard detached; Fig. l, a side view of the same; Fig.5, a nnnliticatitm in the construction of the guard.

This invention relates to an improvementin what are commonly calledbuckle-guards that is to say, a device which may be applied to a strapover the bar upon which the buckletongue rests, and so that the point ofthe tongue will be covered or incloscd to prevent its catching uponai'iyt-hing with which it may come in contact, such guards beingspecially adapted for harness-lmckles, to prevent the tail of the horsefrom catching upon the tongue of the buckle.

The object of the invention is a cheap and simple construction, whichmay be readily adapted to straps and buckles already in use; and itconsists in the construction as hereinafter described, and particularlyrecited in the claims.

The guard is best made, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4-, from wire. Itconsists of twvo ends, A

The guard is applied as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, the strap being firstinserted through. one end of the guard; then. through the buckle andengaged with the tongue; then through the other end of the guard, asthrough a loop. The sides of the guard lie each side of the point of thetongue, as seen in Fig. 1, and form an inclosnre tor the point of thetongue, and so that it is impossible for anything to come into contactwith the tongue so long as indicated in Figs. 1 and 9.

\Vhilc I prefer to make the guard from wire,

as I have indicated, it may be cast, as seen in is exposed to view,which is a great conven- '70- ience in adj usting or manipulating thebuckle, over a closed guard which completely covers the tongue.

4 From the t1 n-egoi ng it will be unders mod that I do not claim,broadly, a guard for a buckle detached or made separate from the buckleand B, parallel with each other, the two sides 1 U C, which connect thesaid two ends, being bent toward each other, and so as to leave an openspace, a, between them, in width substantially that of the point of thebuckletongue. As made from wire, the wire is bent into the shape seen inFig. 3, and so that the sisting of the ends parallel with each other,

connected by two sides, the said two sides bent inward midway of theirlength and toward each other, and longitudinally concave-convex,substantially as described.

2. A buckle-guard made from wire bent to form two ends, A B, parallelwith each other, and connecting sides 0 U, the said sides bent inwardand toward each other, the two ends of the wire brought together uponone end of the frame and formed longitudinally concavoconvex,substantially as described.

GEORGE M. HUBBA Witnesses:

J OHN E. EARLE, FRED C. EARLE.

